1
as in ripping
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
angrily tore the letter to shreds
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in yanking
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
tore the book from his hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in hurrying
to proceed or move quickly
she tore out of the room as soon as the phone started to ring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tearing
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 1 Dec. 2025
Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 11 May 2026
One of the state’s most infamous tornadoes, this massive F4 touched down near Holliday before tearing into Wichita Falls.
—Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 11 May 2026
Last year, Jones led Indianapolis to an 8-2 start before fracturing his left fibula and tearing his right Achilles tendon.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Alma Ortiz When first responders arrived on scene, flames were tearing through the front of the building.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 11 May 2026
The process was the shipbuilding equivalent of tearing a house down to the studs.
—Michael Ballaban, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
Clothes left in sunny windows or dried repeatedly in harsh sun may become brittle and prone to tearing.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 May 2026
Georgia Amoore is back after tearing her ACL last year as a rookie, and cornerstone players Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron are in just their second years.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
This will be Brink’s first full season back since tearing her ACL in June 2024.
—John Davis, Daily News, 8 May 2026
Adjective
By acting as a biomechanical bridge, soft enough for muscle, strong enough for rigid parts, the tendons eliminate the tearing and detachment problems that have plagued previous designs.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 1 Dec. 2025
Verb
Katie Lou Samuelson, Collier’s UConn classmate, missed the 2025 season after tearing her ACL during training camp with the Seattle Storm.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 11 May 2026
One of the state’s most infamous tornadoes, this massive F4 touched down near Holliday before tearing into Wichita Falls.
—Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 11 May 2026
Last year, Jones led Indianapolis to an 8-2 start before fracturing his left fibula and tearing his right Achilles tendon.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 11 May 2026
Alma Ortiz When first responders arrived on scene, flames were tearing through the front of the building.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 11 May 2026
The process was the shipbuilding equivalent of tearing a house down to the studs.
—Michael Ballaban, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
Clothes left in sunny windows or dried repeatedly in harsh sun may become brittle and prone to tearing.
—Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 May 2026
Georgia Amoore is back after tearing her ACL last year as a rookie, and cornerstone players Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron are in just their second years.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
This will be Brink’s first full season back since tearing her ACL in June 2024.
—John Davis, Daily News, 8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearing
Verb
-
Greg knows Elizabeth well, and the final beat of him ripping her magazine picture off the wall feels like the completion of his transformation into a man who is over his toxic ex.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
11 May 2026
-
Hicks should take advantage of his matchup against Littell and Washington’s lousy bullpen and make good on his home run prop by ripping a homer today.—
Josh Shepardson,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Essentially, yanking gravity away is another tool, just like temperature or pressure, that drug manufacturers can apply to improve their products.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
-
Now, the Sentinel has learned, Florida is taking an inconsistent approach to cleaning up its mess, yanking the licenses of 47 nurses who attended schools cited by the FBI but allowing others to keep working, even when it has been alerted to their shortcomings.—
Annie Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
No point hurrying toward a resolution that was always receding.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Instead of hurrying to break up tents and scatter RVs, Lee and Oakland’s interim homelessness chief Sasha Hauswald want city workers to focus on minimizing trash and human waste around encampments.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
One spring day in Paris many years ago, my wife, Diana, a most penetrating photographer, capable of seeing like no one else, decided, as an experiment, to walk across the city blindfolded.—
Hisham Matar,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Aug. 2024
-
Since the war began in Gaza, more than six months ago, the Israeli magazine +972 has published some of the most penetrating reporting on the Israel Defense Forces’ conduct.—
Isaac Chotiner,
The New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2024
Verb
-
Other complaints had to do with the Puerto Rican rap star grabbing his crotch, and with two dancers who allegedly grabbed each other's breasts (which, if true, is a wild dance move).—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
-
Particularly since the savings made in service-staff costs and brick-and-mortar bar space, not to mention the affordability of buying booze here in China's RMB currency, aren't that far off grabbing a can or bottle from a nearby 24-hour convenience store.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Surveillance video obtained by Atlanta News First showed a car speeding through the parking lot before hitting Perry’s vehicle parked near the entrance.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
-
Large components could be built offsite and assembled at the plant, reducing costs and speeding up deployment.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Netflix’s big comedy bet might be the Dan Levy–Rachel Sennott co-creation Big Mistakes; the biting, farcical series about adult siblings who get caught up in the drug business plays like Weeds crossed with The Other Two.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
2 May 2026
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The tracks are more vulnerable, biting, and self-aware than ever, and in some cases, feature lyrics pulled right out of Hjelt’s diary.—
Charisma Madarang,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Achane was the Dolphins’ lone Pro Bowl player in 2025, rushing for 1,350 yards, which is third-most in Dolphins history behind Ricky Williams’ 2002 and 2003 seasons.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2026
-
UpToDate is now rushing to implement its own AI tool, called Expert AI.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tearing. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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